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Author Notes: I created this recipe for my brother, to make sure my little pal was getting enough vegetables. Simple enough to prepare in his teeny East Village kitchen, it's cheap, packed with veggies, low in fat and hearty enough to feed a 26-year-old boy for a couple of days. It also happens to be delicious. The trick to this is cooking the veggies enough to release ALL their water while developing a nice caramelization. Otherwise, the meatloaf will steam from the inside, and it won't come together properly. When you think your veggies are done, let them cook a couple minutes more. The flavor will be more intense and the texture will be a lot better. - lisina

Serves 4

For the meatloaf:

1pound ground turkey

1 large onion (medium dice)

2 portobello mushrooms, gills removed (medium dice)

1 large or 2 small zucchini (medium dice)

1 red bell pepper (medium dice)

1 egg

3/4cup panko bread crumbs

1tablespoon tomato paste

2tablespoons dijon mustard

1/4cup balsamic vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

olive oil as needed

For the topping:

1tablespoon tomato paste

2tablespoons dijon mustard

2tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 375

Saute onions in olive oil until soft. Season with salt. Add mushrooms and cook over medium high heat until the mushrooms have cooked way down, and are beginning to caramelize. Remove from pan and set aside to cool.

Saute zucchini and red pepper in olive oil. Season with salt, and cook over medium high heat until veggies are caramelized. Add to onions and mushrooms and set aside to cool.

In a large bowl mix together the turkey, egg, crumbs and condiments until very well integrated. Add the cooled vegetables and mix until vegetables are evenly distributed.

Take a small pinch of the mixture and cook in the fry pan you used for the veggies, and taste it to check for seasoning. Add more salt if necessary.

Form the mixture into a freeform loaf on a baking sheet.

In a separate bowl, mix together the topping ingredients and then slather it onto your loaf, evenly coating the top and sides.